Back in early 2017 we made the decision to say goodbye to our full-time design roles and take the leap to start our own agency. I realise how that sounds, like it’s as easy as starting a monthly book club. Alex and I, having both worked at a number of agencies, had built up a wealth of contacts, experience and a growing list of loyal clients. Although early 2017 is not all that long ago, since then we’ve learned a lot, grown a resourceful network and have done work we are proud of.
With the fulfilment of running your own business, undoubtedly comes the stress of uncertainty and security - the struggle is real. Something we tend to ask ourselves is what is our purpose? Why are we here and why did we do this in the first place? (especially at 2am).
Whilst we've been busy having this existential crisis we've realised three values that make us who we are:
Be kind but be honest
Behind all great work is a good relationship. Before embarking on a new project and during the project’s lifetime, we always make time to meet with our clients. We work with you, and for you. We believe in listening, honesty and the importance of direct conversation.
Question everything
Upon reading a new brief, we ask questions. Has the client thought of everything? Is there more than one solution, which one is the best? Our job is to solve the problem, but if the problem is the problem then we have a problem. Assumptions are dangerous things to make, and like all dangerous things to make — bombs, for instance, or strawberry cheesecake — if you make even the tiniest mistake you can find yourself in terrible trouble.
Grow big and tall
In the early days our business relied on the smaller briefs from our now loyal client base. Had we ignored this work in the hunt for the ‘meatier stuff’, we wouldn’t still be working with them today, seeing their businesses flourish. Over the years we have worked alongside a broader network, consisting of copywriters, developers, SEO specialists and more. We’ve built valuable relationships within our network, which allows us to seamlessly scale our resource, when working with larger businesses on more demanding briefs.
So what is our purpose, it's ultimately about losing yourself — losing yourself in something bigger than you. It is about wanting to make a difference and do good for others — to help, to give, and to serve. It is the legacy you are going to leave behind.